Captain's Comments: Ipswich Town

22 August 2017

We bring you tonight's programme notes from captain Jason Puncheon as he looks ahead to our first cup action of the season.

There are a lot of things that are new to us at the moment, like the way we are changing the system and how we play the game, but it is something we are all working on to improve as quickly as we can, move onto the next game and go again.

It was Huddersfield’s first match since winning promotion and they had a gameplan which they carried out well. After they went ahead we were always chasing the game and in those situations you have to make sure you don’t leave yourselves open.

We did have chances and one of the pivotal moments was their keeper’s save from Wilf in the first half, and then later on he did well to stop a chance from Christian. You look at these kinds of opportunities and if one of those go in we are in back in the game, but it was a day where we didn’t have that bit of luck. We need to move on from the disappointment of that afternoon and put it behind us.

Tonight we have a break in league action as we play our first cup match of the season and welcome Ipswich Town, a side who have started really well in the Championship. When you take part in a cup match, whatever league you are in, it creates excitement and we are all looking forward to this game and hopefully starting a good cup run.

It’s a competition where opportunities come along for squad members to get some game time at first-team level, and it remains to be seen whether the gaffer does change the starting XI tonight.

As a player I am someone who has always wanted to be playing in the cup competitions, because these early rounds are ones we can go into with anticipation that it could be our year to have some success in the competition.

Whatever team takes to the field, they will be doing their utmost to ensure we get the result and take our place in the next round. Every part of the football club - the fans, the players and the local community - come together in support of the club when there is cup success, and I will never forget what a great feeling being in the FA Cup final was for me personally. It would be tremendous for us to be going through all that again later this season, and this is our first opportunity to get to Wembley and see if we can lift some silverware.

Tonight's match programme will be on sale around the stadium priced £2.50.